Heavy aroma of caramel, malts and spice, reminiscent of fine liquor. Some notes of dark fruit, such as dates and raisins, maybe some black cherry, with a perfumy undertone.

Mouthfeel is smooth and velvety, if not a bit heavy. Nice for sipping, especially at 12% AVB. Taste was, as other BA's have noted, somehow lighter than the aroma suggested. Still quite heavy on fruit and malt, and not nearly as spicy as I'd have thought.

I'd been wrestling with buying the 750 ml bottle of the Malheur 10, and saw this variety in a 330 ml bottle and bought it instead. After reading over some of the other reviews here, I think I'll be returning for the Malheur 10 to experience the balance that this one is lacking.

This variety is definitely worth a try, though I'm not sure I'll be tempted to have another. (912 characters)

A bit different from their other beers, that are all golden-orange in colour. The colour of this one is dark mahogany-burgundy, with some reflexes. Big head, quite thin and compact.The smell is nut, chocolate, almost vinaceous. Cocoa. Quite sweet (other difference between this one and the other Malheur, where the bitter is dominant). Alcohol very present.In the taste the bitter is more evident, but even the alcool. The alcoholic impact is too strong. It warms... but the alcohol covers all the rest...Surely a meditation beer, but maybe a little unbalanced: too bitter and too alcoholic, without a texture that can support all.The aftertaste is bitter and sweetish caramel, and cocoa and hazelnut. And even alcohol, obviously...Medium-high body. (754 characters)

Smells malty and sweet. Typical yeast aromas too. Taste was unimpressive to me. Really sweet and really thickly coats the palette. It's almost a chore to drink the whole thing. It also has a tea like taste to it, or that's how I'd describe it. Also fruity... overly to me. Alcohol is very warming, as with a 12% abv beer I suppose.

Overall, I think I'll pass on this one next time. It was just too thick for me causing a sticky sweet residue in the mouth. (493 characters)

This is a pretty good beer. However, it struck me as sort of like a bock - overly cerealy with a malted milk ball sweetness. It had some nice redeeming qualities, but I couldn't get past the sweetness.

Color was dark but brilliant. Head was medium sized bubbles of consistent size, kind of like that of a macro lager. Aroma was earthy and roasty with some sourness. Flavor was sour (which was good) but offered an overly sweet unpleasantness with too much malt. Mouthfeel was clean and pretty good.

I would weakly recommend this beer. I had this bottle at Paters Vaetje ("Monk's Casket") in Antwerp. (601 characters)

Foam spicy or salty. Nose slightly chocolaty and fruity with aromas of sweet wine more marked. The taste of alcohol and toasted malt are certainly present but they are not powerful. By cons, it is much more pungent than the others "style quad" It also feels slightly fruity (rum). The end of mouth is dry, bitter and most persistent feature of beers Malheur. (358 characters)

Good thing I was near my trash can for this one. A sharp fizz was my only warning upon loosing the cap, and then the beer came gushing forth! I quickly got it into a glass, but there's little excuse for this sort of thing. Pity, too... beer went to waste! So, proceed with caution.

A. Crackling and fizzy tan head that fades fast atop a dirty, chunky clear red-brown. Lots of sediment in this one, and I left a bunch in the bottle, even so. Lower points here for gushing and generally being messy.

S. Served around 55 degrees, the first thing you notice is that dark fruit nose - fruity with dates, plums, etc - but then there's quite a bit of alcohol heat and sharpness that frankly, doesn't need to be there. It is distracting and takes away from other, much more interesting things going on. This is 12%, but does it need to smell like it? Other than booze and fruit, some dark roasted grainy character, vanilla and hops peek out, but it's all a bit useless with this much ethanol present.

T. Sadly, the booziness continues on into the taste, imparting a Robitussin-like sharpness that is quite unpleasant and doesn't mesh well with the Good Stuff: dark fruit, earthy hop notes, molasses, cocoa, rum and other eyebrow raising flavors are all here, but walloped into a pulp by the bruising booze. It's a real shame, because there is a great beer here -- I don't know if this needs aging or I got a bum bottle or what.

M. Interestingly, quite light and creamy-full. Thin for the style, but the ample carbonation (champagne yeast, right?) If this tasted better it'd be one of the easier Quads to drink out there. Finish is warm alcohol, sharp and fusel, and a little bitter-astringent, black tea like. Spicy and sweet in turns. Mildly dry and yeasty finish. Decent overall. But for the price, this should be better.

D. For the price, I wouldn't. I would like to try this again though, as I really don't think the bottle is 'sposed to blow up like it did. Maybe this was stored poorly or somesuch. In any event, this bottle of Malheur 12 is curious and has merit, but is ultimately flawed. Ahh well, you can't win 'em all. (2,126 characters)

I tried a 2003 bottle at the Kulminator in early 2006. It was poured into a Malheur goblet by Leen (co-owner of Kulminator).

It looked really nice, with an off-white foamy head and burgandy liquid filled with floating yeasties. I wanted it to smell bready and yeasty like a St Bernardus or Westvleteren beer (which I was originally expecting based on some ill-gotten advice). But it smelled like a barley-wine, which is possibly my least-favorite beer style.

The bottle said "outstanding flavor of whole hops", but I really didn't taste the hops very much at all. Mostly sweet malt flavor and a lot of alcohol.

I could barely finish 1 glass, so drinkability is low for me. (681 characters)

Smell is full of dark flavors, caramalts, candisugar and red fruit, grapes and strawberries.

Taste is full and quite alcoholic. The beer is malty and has strong caramalt character. It reminds of dark fruit candi sugar. The beer has 12% alcohol which is nicely hidden behind it's big body. The beer is too sweet for me. All together the beer has not enough to fascinate me. (430 characters)

Body exhibits a cloudy, copper-brown body with a very thick, fizzy head. The aroma exudes a subdued sweet and fruity scent; caramel and apricot; some citrus. The flavor mirrors much of the characteristics of the smell with a touch of bitterness and notes of alcohol; sharp tartness in the background. Medium-heavy body yet very fizzy.

Not a bad beer per se but comes across rather weak, watery and generally chaotic as far as depth and balance go. The initial pour produced mostly all foam despite using a proper pour technique although it eventually settled into decent balance of body with head. The smell was really low-key although it had a nice variety of scents. The flavor and mouthfeel both seemed rather weak all-around, especially with the overly fizzy carbonation feel. Subsequent sips reminded me more of a bitter cola than a deep, balanced, and complex beer. Fair but certainly meet my expectations for a quad. (970 characters)

750ml bottle into a wine glass. This was highly recommended by Shroud0fdoom - thanks!

Appearance: Pours a dark ruby color with great translucence. The head is one and a half fingers high and khaki in shade, and the retention is excellent. Its texture is extremely sticky, leaving behind a healthy clump of lacing on the glass. (4)

Smell: There's a bigger dark fruit quotient here than most other quads. Still, the notes I look for in a quad (the yeast spice, a touch of malt, no real alcohol presence) are here in full force. In particular, its malt backbone helps give off some specialty notes like chocolate. There's even a touch of hoppiness! I always like that in a quad. Only real complaint with the nose is that it's rather mild. (3.5)

Taste: It starts off with notes of spice, licorice, and dark fruit. Its spiciness is ultimately carried into its long finish. It's a very yeasty brew, too - not only does it have a strong bread note, but the aforementioned spice profile has more than one facet to it (like cinnamon or even nutmeg; I'd even call this a nice fall-time quad...) Plus, it seems hoppier than other quads (another facet I like). There are gentle suggestions of a chocolaty note near the back end. At first, it's fizzy (more on that later) and imbalanced, but opening up properly, it becomes a very good quad, if not quite a great one. (3.5)

Mouthfeel: This one really fills the mouth thanks to its (overly) vibrant carbonation. It practically explodes in there - and this creates a problem with the flavor profile. The mouth-filling nature obscures its nicer flavors, but once the fizz subsides, I start to taste more what this beer is about. However, it becomes a bit syrupy once this carbonation fades some. It's a little warm going down, though not quite 'hot' by any means. (3)

Overall: I don't think this is quite on par with the best Belgian quads. Having said that, there are some nice qualities that help inspire further drinking of it. Once the fizz subsides, it becomes quite good, but it's honestly somewhat hard to enjoy for the first minute of drinking it.

3.48/5: Not really a Rochefort 10 killer, but enjoyable enough for me to kill the entire 750 with no trouble (2,205 characters)

Served this 11.2 oz brown bottle in a Westmalle goblet. best before 1.04.11. Purchased for $9.99 a 4 pack. It was a dull cola color with a light tan head. There were red highlights and the body seemed to clear up quickly after settling. A fine cap remained but it left no lacing.

The smell was crisp fruitiness. Date-nut bread. Prunes and raisins.

The taste was somewhat blunted. Dark bread and vague peppercorn. However, it seem rather well balanced. Finished semi-dry.

The mouthfeel was full with a constantly blooming carbonation. (539 characters)

A- Deep chocolatey brown. Head is somewhat tanned. Retention is decent, but pretty much no lacing.S- Malty with fig and raien characteristics. Lightly spicy and just a bit of alcohol presence.T- Taste is more pronounced. Definite fig character that is a really nice flavor. A bit of plum in there too. There is a bit of metallic character in the finish though that is undesirable.M- More carbonated than most in style, and a bit lighter in body.O- Merely an average quad. Decent but the metallic aftertaste and weak mouthfeel were subpar. (542 characters)

12 oz Bottle poured inot Duvel tulip glass. Pours a murky deep brown color with a nice thick tannish head. Head sticks around for a while and leaves a nice sticky ring of lace.

Initial smell was overpowering medicinal / alcohol smell. Initially poured very cold and the alcohol was very evident - to the point of being unattractive. Allowed the brew to warm to room temp and alcohol subsides a bit - but not too much. Found nice figgy sweetness and malts in the nose, some caramel too.

Taste was again harsh initially due to the spicy alcohol, which sterilizes my palate to any complexity this brew might have. I battled with this brew in the beginning but in the end we came to a truce and I really began to enjoy it. Sweet caramel and toffee notes when it warms. Figs and ripe fruit come to mind. The last 5 sips were absolutely fantastic, more complex than a Roc 10 at the same stage. Meduim bodied and dry finish. Alcohol warms the core with this one.

I think this brew could be a real contender to the Roc line... Unfortunately the alcohol was way to evident and knocked this brew down for me. Maybe this brew needs to mellow a few years in a cellar to bring out more flavors to mask the alcohol. Drinkability is poor due to the evident and burning alcohol. (1,265 characters)

I don't like the label, it looks rotted, but it really doesn't matter in reality. It pours deep reddish-brown with a foamy white head. The head bubbled down into a denser layer that held. It has an orange liquor smell on the nose. It has a strong bitterness across the tongue but leaves a slightly sweet aftertaste. It was thick in the mouth and I found it drinkable although you'll certainly feel it after a while. Curious to have it off of tap. I'll definatly revisit. (470 characters)

Initial head rises high and slowly diminishes to a thin ring of lace; dark mahogany brown that is almost completely opaque. Booze-soaked raisin aroma with some fresh-baked mo- lasses cake in the back. Crisp and slick full body, carbonation comes to play with a sizable bite. Stogy malt character dances with the spicy, peppery alcohol. Flights of fruitiness from the alcohol and caramelized sugar from the malt stack the complexities. Faint suggestions of broth and vegetable middle to end are other affirmations that this is a BIG beer. Mild herbal, almost cheesy hop is right below the spiciness of the alcohol. Finishes semisweet with a kiss of charred malt.

A little rough around the edges, yet still very controlled for a Quad--a treat to drink. The road most taken would be blue-veined cheese with some fig spread ... a bit more daring would be a pork loin with mole sauce. (937 characters)

Opened a gusher. Thankfully I got most of it to gush into the glass and ended up with a dark brown/black beer with an off white head. The foam did disappear quickly though, leaving only traces on the surface.

Smells of malt, with both dark, roasty undertones and a fair amount of sweetness.

Taste is a very unique yeasty flavor, with many fruit esters. Tastes a bit like a more sugary version of Rochefort 10 actually.

Mouthfeel is a bit disappointing; not as robust as the color would make one believe.

Really pretty drinkable for what it is. My expectations were low after tasting the ridiculously sweet Malheur 10, but I was pleasantly surprised when the sugars were only slightly overpowering in this. (709 characters)

Pours very dark copper wtih a lasting creamy head.Nose is complex as expected: raisins, stewed apples, cloves, bready yeast, treacle and cinnamon. Nice!Very sweet rich flavours follow, which I suppose are needed to cover the high alcohol... Lots of candi sugar, dark brown sugar and candied dark fruits. Alcohol is noticeable later on but is in no way overbearing. A little to sweet for me.Carbonation is suitably high. Alcoholic heat is quite noticeable. (458 characters)

Head poured thick with tiny bubbles. Dark Dark beer, and the beads stuck around as I drank.

Nice aroma, with a bit of caramel and sour dough. The taste is a little on the alcoholy side with a sharp aftertaste. Not the best in the world, but a solid, above average quad. Bubbly in the mouth, which lingers for quite a bit. Overall a nice beer (342 characters)

A - Pours a dark brown with a two-finger khaki head. Head retention is pretty good. Head dissipates to leave a thin crown. Some decent streaks of lacing are left behind.

S - Dark sugars mixed with raisins, figs and molasses give this beer an aroma that is quite sweet. Fresh baked bread and roasted malts make up the backbone of the aroma.

T - Sweet and boozy. Almost a tad too sweet for me. Dark fruits, bready malts and dark sugar are what really stand. Some subtle notes of caramel and cherries. Spicy alcohol makes it presence well known.

M - Medium-bodied with medium-high level of carbonation. Sticky and slick mouthfeel. Plenty of warmth from the alcohol.

O - I've had superior quads to this. The ample sweetness and lack of notable flavors were negatives for me. I don't think this is undrinkable by any means. I just think there are better options. Seek out if you are a big fan of quads. (943 characters)

The Malheur 12 was really quite an odd beer, with a beautiful dark amber color and a light head. It was a great consistency and a bit heady, but thats common for big bottle belgians. Roomate picked it up at the local beer store (Rodmans in DC) and poured in a tall glass. The smell was very fruity, though the presence of the alcohol (12% ABV) was certainly a turn-on.

The taste was incredibly soft and the fruitiness and maltiness hit the palate together almost immediately. Its a combination a lot of beers try for (the Delerium Nocturnum, to name one), but can never quite balance out the way this beer does.

The dark fruit, caramel maltiness, and subtleties in lacing make the Malheur 12 exceptionally soft in the mouth, but the beer does not round out enough in the end to make it really drinkable in the long run. Fantastic beer for a glass, but reluctant to drink continuously. (888 characters)

Pours a dark amber color which shines bright red when held to the light. About a 2 finger head lingers for quite some time

Smells really sweet with lots of fruit apples and figs and grapes

Taste is sweet and malty with a warm aftertaste

Medium body with decent carbonation. not overpowering at all

This is a good desert beer i think i'd like to enjoy this one if i was relaxing on the back porch after a big meal watching the sun go down. I'll keep this one on the list until the next time that happens.. (508 characters)